Las Vegas residents may be at risk for long or short term asbestos exposure based on findings of the dangerous mineral outside the city.

Although asbestos exposure is usually seen from commercial products containing asbestos fibers, they can also pose risks when it occurs naturally. Research by University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) medial geologist Brenda Buck reportedly shows that asbestos is naturally occurring in the rocks and dust surrounding Las Vegas.

According to Earth and Space Science News, Buck reportedly found palygorskite, a mineral very similar to asbestos, 15 miles northeast of Las Vegas during 2011. This discovery reportedly prompted Buck to link up with cancer epidemiologists and other researchers from the University of Hawaii Cancer Center. They aimed to determine if cancer incidences in Nevada were linked to the presence of asbestos.

These scientists found that “there was evidence in the Nevada Cancer Registry data that people in southern Nevada were being exposed to asbestos minerals through an environmental mechanism, not an occupational one.”

Following this, Buck partnered with a geologist for UNLV. Together, they reportedly found that over 1 million acres in Nevada contain or likely contain asbestos-like minerals. With frequent dust storms plaguing the Las Vegas area, there is concern that naturally occurring asbestiform minerals count easily be deposited in the surrounding areas – potentially leading to long term health consequences.

This potential risk is reportedly supported by the statistics, including the occurrence of asbestos-related mesothelioma. While other states have an incidence of 5 cases of malignant mesothelioma per million each year, Nevada reportedly had 10 cases of asbestos-associated cancer per million each year between 2006 and 2010.

“Look, your chances of being killed in a car crash are much higher than dying of mesothelioma. But when you get out of the car, your risk goes to zero,” UNLV geologist Rodney Metcalf told Eos. “With asbestos, once you’re exposed, you take that risk with you for life.”

Effects of Long & Short Term Asbestos Exposure

Even short term asbestos exposure can have long term consequences. When asbestos fibers are breathed in or swallowed, they can stay in the lungs for a long period of time where they can cause inflammation and scarring.

Eventually, this tissue damage can lead to the development of cancers such as lung cancer, larynx cancer, mesothelioma and more. Exposure to asbestos is also related to asbestosis – an inflammatory lung condition characterized shortness of breath, coughing, and lung damage.

These health risks prompted the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to ban asbestos in several products in the 1970s. According to Cleveland Clinic, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) increased the ban in 1989 when it banned the new use of asbestos.

Unfortunately, older products and buildings may still contain asbestos. This can cause new asbestos to exposure.

People who were previously exposed to asbestos may take a long time to develop asbestos-related illnesses such as lung cancer. Individuals who worked in shipbuilding, railway construction, mining, construction, manufacturing, and other industries while asbestos was widely used may only start getting sick decades after exposure.